Panda PR

It's panda-monium in Northern Thailand at the moment.

The Chiang Mai Zoo has painted their elephants to look like pandas in a PR attempt to help remind Thais of the plight of the national symbol. Not sure if this is brilliant, weird, animal cruelty or all of the above.

As background, the Thai public went absolutely nuts after a rare baby panda was born in Thailand in late May this year. Since then, there's been a panda frenzy amongst the Thai public with panda pens, panda screensavers, panda mobile covers, a panda song and other assorted panda accessories on sale left right and centre!

Who needs LSD when you've got the new 2012 London Olympics branding??

There's only one place in the world where the colours of cerise and blue belong...

I am shocked AND awed this evening. A bunker-buster of a branding campaign has just come right down my chimney and exploded with eclectic voracity.

Have the advertising creatives behind the London 2012 Olympics branding gone COMPLETELY bananas? Have they been watching too many re-runs of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or other fluro 80's sitcoms?? Will the Australian uniform for 2012 include happy pants???

If you haven't seen the new branding over the last few days, see the promotional video below:



Just a couple of things for the agency behind this outrageously epileptic episode:

• When branding the Olympics, why the bloody hell didn't you use the traditional Olympic colours?
• You won't engage young people with a graffiti-like dog's breakfast...these days young people want smooth designs - like Nokia phones, Apple's iPod and Notebook, the Airbus A380, a BMW or Maybelline lipstick. I wonder what those 50+ members of society are thinking...

This is yet another poignant example of why it's imperative that advertising people need to be led by those angelic media saviours - PR professionals. If advertisers could drag themselves away from those bars and boozy client lunches and actually do some bloody work, we PR people wouldn't have to mop up the remnants of a shoddy rush-job that clearly won't see a result past the mockery of the wider world. (Just jokes)

I'd love to hear all of your thoughts - especially all of my great mates over in London...your observations on the local reaction, your professional opinions of the branding etc. Angus?

PRIA - The perfect pitch

Holy shitballs. What an eventful night.

This post doesn't have any pictures, so for those only interested in my pictorial portray of life, please divert to this site now. It's much more entertaining. My best score is 3198.

I've just gotten back tonight from my first ever Public Relations Institute of Australia event. To be honest, it's been the first event which I've been able to afford (many other events cost a few hundred to a thousand dollars to attend), and on my salary, many events simply aren't accessible...a stain on the PRIA for young members, but understandable due to resourcing etc. If only there could be an informal (and non-stereotypical) venture such as a BBQ where people gather on a Saturday afternoon, talk PR and all associated afflictions, then go out and get shit-faced. Low cost and achieving the goals of the PRIA.

This one tonight brought together three blokes (in a room of roughly 35 women and 5 guys) to present their views on "The Perfect Pitch". Journos presenting to us included Tony Biancotti (Formally Today and Getaway), David Flynn (IT freelance journo and former editor of a host of IT mags/newspaper supplements), and Tony Blackie (Senior journo at BRW and founder of PR company Blackie McDonald). In a nutshell, their views echoed exactly what I have thought about PR: Be personal, be genuine, be smart, be valuable.

As a quadruplet, these elements are in no way interchangeable - in my opinion, despite any magical 'new ways' of communicating, these four elements will always form the cornerstones to any effective public relations (or any business!) strategy.

Tonight was eventful for more than just the fact that it was my first ever foray into PRIA events:

• I got my feet wet - we've had about 60 points of rain in the CBD since 9am this morning (apologies to my family in Central West NSW).
• Paull Young, a mate of mine from uni who was in attendance, went up to the president of the PRIA to discuss some possibly thorny subjects, only for his lip to be prematurely cut open on a broken schmiddy glass (yet another reason why they should be banned), being forced to abort any intentions of intellectual conversation with blood streaming down his chin. We got a few free beers out of it though. Thanks Youngie.
• I got to talk about the effects of new-media with a whole host of intelligent, informed young PR professionals.
• There was a simultaneous speed-dating event on in the same venue. It proved quite funny when a random young lady introduced herself, then leaving three minutes later with a confused look on her face after witnessing three guys gripped by said new-media conversation.

I'm still really undecided as to whether I will renew my membership ($275 for a few emails and 'invitations' to events where I need to pay more money) - I think I would like to speak with the PRIA hierarchy as to different costing elements.

This event, whilst a great way to catch up with old mates and meet a few new people, was terrific - I just wish I don't have to pay a heap of money for the privilege.

Goodnight...

Howzat!!

I went to the 4th and final day of the 5th Ashes test in Sydney a couple of weeks ago, courtesy of the good people at 3 Mobile. Definite perk of working for a PR firm.

Anyway, it was Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer's last ever test match. A momentous day indeed and one to most definitely tell the grandkids about.

A perfect setting to watch half a day of cricket. The Poms got their asses well and truly handed to them, with a 5-0 Ashes whitewash - the first since 1921.

Ashes whitewash


One of Warnie's last ever test match overs...


The boys do a victory lap...


Brett Lee & Matt Hayden